Pancreatitis & Artemisia Capillaris Tea

This past winter, my liver became quite swollen. I had never focused on liver maintenance until this time. I knew Apple's Steve Jobs had a liver transplant years after being diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. So, I made a decision to respect the importance of maintaining a healthy liver.

From all I've read it seems not only is there no cure for pancreatic cancer but doctor's merely use us as guinea pigs during our demise down misery lane. After my awful experience in the hospital with Severe Acute Pancreatitis I decided I'd do the best I could to figure out what was wrong with my pancreas, on my own, and live a the happiest life possible without the help of doctors. While I am very pleased with this decision knowing it was the right choice I also understand that diligence in listening to my body and responding with research and action is vital.

When my liver swelled I researched herbs and teas that would decrease inflammation. At the time I was visiting family in NYC so I headed down to Chinatown to see what sort of Chinese medicinals might be available to cure what ailed me.

A very nice young Chinese man told me to drink tea every day. Warm tea. He recommended against prepackaged teas and suggested the use of bulk tea instead. I thanked him for his assistance and began my search for bulk teas. I had no idea what I was looking for but decided to ask around and see what I could find. I found a 16 ounce bag of tea for $5. The lady behind the counter suggested drinking a cup every day. I assumed it was the sort of tea Chinese restaurants served. So, I bought it. Then, I went to Pearl River on Broadway - a large Chinese store with everything that has been there for 40 years.

By this time I had ended my search for tea and decided to look for goodies to help furnish my daughter's apartment since she had recently moved to the city. While rummaging downstairs I worked my way to the very back end of the basement and much to my surprise the wall was filled with medicinals and bulk tea! There was a Chinese medicine doctor on duty who happened to leave for the day before I had a chance to seek his assistance. So left to my own devices, I bought several bags of various teas in hopes that something would be what I was looking for. At a different shop, I purchased a lovely Chinese tea pot set ($18) which my daughter loves and I use regularly during my NYC visits.

Once home, I researched each of the teas for medicinal purposes and marked my findings in the side of each bag with a sharpie. Several of the teas were noted as having anti-inflammatory properties.

My liver was swollen. This meant that it was inflamed. Therefore, the goal was to decrease the inflammation. Some of the teas I purchased were good for the GI tract, liver and kidneys.

Artemisia Capillaris is probably my favorite of the teas although I usually mix at least three together at a time due to the various medicinal benefits of each tea. I know drink my teas regularly. After drinking the tea my liver went back down to normal. I want to say this happened immediately but let's veer on the side of reserve and say that it might have taken as long as a day for my liver to become normal again.

I often feel like I don't have pancreatitis these days. Currently, I am back in NYC. I've been here since the day of the 'hurricane', August 27th. I did not bring my teas with me. I regret it. I think the teas flush my system and keep it healthy and viable. I can feel a difference and unfortunately, don't have the tea on hand to immediately decrease the swelling or flush the system. While this is not a painful experience to me. It is uncomfortable and unnecessary since the teas seem to aid my GI tract in ways it needs.

Artemisia Capillaris is also known as Chinese Wormwood and Yen Chen Hao. I can be purchased online and is relatively inexpensive. The bag I purchased in NYC's Chinatown was $5. Online I've seen it for more... perhaps as $11-16? Nonetheless, I'm still working on my first bag and it lasts a longtime and, for me, it works!

Instructions:

In NYC, I fill the screen full of the tea in the Chinese teapot, then add water. Let sit for a few minutes before drinking.

At home, I do not have a Chinese teapot and therefore boil the herb directly in the water and strain the bulk tea directly into the cup.

Both seem ways of making the tea seem to work fine!

I'd love to hear what is working for you. Information is our friend and will hopefully help us prolong our lives.

Living with Pancreatitis & Respecting My Liver

One thing that seems clear is that the liver can be the downfall of someone who suffers from pancreatitis rather than the pancreas itself, or pancreatic cancer. Steve Jobs received a liver transplant a few years back after having fought pancreatic cancer for several years before that.

I do not think Steve Job's survival rate should be expected. I do not expect it for myself. I don't have medical insurance. Would I really be in line for a transplant? In any case, I do believe that the more we learn the longer we can live.

Unfortunately, I don't always pay much mind to my liver. I try to focus intently on my pancreas but it has become clear to me that neglecting the well-being of my liver could inevitably be my downfall.

Generally we focus on things for a reason. About 5 days ago I felt my liver swelling up. I was either having problems with my liver, my bile duct or both. No, I'm not a doctor. I'm guessing. I'm, also, probably right. When I went into the emergency hospital and told the doctor on call that I thought I was having a severe acute pancreatic attack I was right, so there is a good chance that I know and listen to my body well enough to be correct about this, as well.

My liver was swollen to the touch and I might have also had inflammation of the bile duct or something in that same region. I've had a lot of problems in that area when I've experienced pancreatic flare-ups. The only way I know how to deal with that is by decreasing and easing inflammation of the pancreas.

The liver is a separate issue. So, I went back to the basics. I did reflexology on the liver spot on my foot. You can find reflexology charts on Google. Depending on what area of the body I am trying to work on with reflexology will determine the chart I use. It seems different charts better diagram different areas and issues. According the reflexology and the bottom of my foot my liver was sore. Of course, I could also feel that it was extended. The liver - like the pancreas - isn't something we can fix. It doesn't get better and heal itself. Therefore, I want to take the absolute best care of it that I possibly can. I don't want swelling or harm to come to it.

My next step was to google "Foods Good for the Liver". Different pages bring up different results. Read a few pages. Find what seems right. Use discernment when reading and be critical in my approach. Remember, anyone can write anything and really, you only want what will help.

My goal was to immediately work toward decreasing the swelling in my liver. First, I had ginger. Ginger is an excellent anti-inflammatory. I also bought some beet juice, ate some garlic cloves (be careful with garlic, too much is bad for the kidneys), Brazil nuts (high in selenium which deters cancer), ate a few walnuts (not too many because I found it too rich for my pancreas) and then ate lots of almonds and drank black tea (which I don't usually drink but seemed to be quite helpful. Within a day or so my liver was back to normal.

What I have learned is that I do not want to overlook my liver. Many sober alcoholics die from psoriasis of the liver. I don't know yet how to best protect my liver from this disease but I will continue to look into and, for now, I will remember to eat foods that benefit the health of the liver.

The basics were that my liver was swollen and my stool was light in color and that 5 days later my liver was no longer swollen and my stool had returned to a healthy, darker color.

I firmly believe that while we do not have total control over our health there is enough information to help guide us in the right direction more often than not. When it comes to the pancreas, doctors are not well enough informed to be of much help to us. Mostly they seem to believe we're a lost cause by the time it gets to them or that the problem is something else entirely. That sort of mentality is not going to promote longevity. I believe I have more of a chance of living longer, healthier and happier if I am personally proactive in my overall well-being and if I choose to fight off potential problems either before they happen (pancreatic cancer) or as soon as I am aware of them (a swollen liver). I believe my body is completely connected to itself and the healthier I keep each part of my body the healthier I will remain overall. This means that I believe my pancreas and liver can affect each other so the better I treat both the healthier I will be. This also extends to eating well, keeping stress levels low, exercising and not drinking alcohol.

Pancreatic Diet: Steak with Ginger

I used to eat a lot of Steak with Ginger but after being diagnosed with Pancreatitis I was told to lay off spices. So, I stopped using ginger.

There is no need to stop using spices altogether. In fact, some spices are good for you and work as an anti-inflammatory which means these spices can actually help to balance your pancreas while you eat. Ginger is one of these spices.

Once I learned that ginger is an anti-inflammatory I started adding it to my diet. I was recently

on a cruise where I ate some ginger that was served to me with sushi. I noticed an almost immediate anti-inflammation in my pancreas. At that point, I started taking the benefit of ginger much more seriously.

I try to buy non-fatty meat since the fat tends to aggravate the pancreas causing inflammation. Non-fatty steak doesn't seem to have much of a negative effect if (like with all foods) I eat reasonable amounts. Tonight, I had steak with cut up ginger. I probably ate a little more than a half pound of steak. I noticed no negative effect or inflammation as a result of the meal.

If you recently got out of the hospital or are having a pancreatic flare-up eating might not be the best solution for you at this time. Sometimes it is best to just allow the pancreas to rest and heal. This is often done by going on a liquid diet for a few days.

That being said, I have noticed the necessity of potassium and the harm it can create to the kidney if I neglect the need for potassium. Therefore, now I try to make sure I eat enough food with high potassium levels so that when my pancreas flares up my system kidney doesn't go into a problem mode as a result of the loss of potassium.

Note: Sometimes balance can be difficult. It's a process.

Related Articles:
Pancreatitis & Hunger

Chronic Pancreatitis and Steak

Bookmark this blog! That way, when you have more questions and you would like to hear the experience, strength and hope of another person with pancreatitis you'll know where to come. See you soon and have a great day!

Potassium Problems & Pancreatitis

I seem to be having problems with not eating enough potassium. This isn't a huge surprise since I'm a light eater in general and foods rich in potassium are not necessarily my favorite.

To counter this deficiency I'm drinking V8 Juice, eating dried apricots and potato chips and walking.

My understanding is that a lack of potassium can cause kidney problems and is common amongst sufferers of pancreatitis.

My goal is to increase the amount of potassium I eat and strengthen my overall health which I feel will protect my pancreas and help it to function at an easier level.

Pancreatitis & Potassium

Everyone's experience with chronic or acute pancreatitis is different. We live different lives and eat different foods which create different reactions in our bodies.

When I was hospitalized with Severe Acute Pancreatitis I couldn't eat anything. That being said I would sneak a potato chip here and there (about 1-6 per day). I would suck all the salt off it and sometimes eat the chip. I eventually confessed this to my doctor. He said it was not surprising and that my body probably needed it.

Apparently, I had a potassium deficiency. Sometimes when someone has Severe Acute Pancreatitis there is a chance their heart can stop. The heart rate can get slow that it just stops. It is possible for any number of organs to fail but for me the problem was the heart.

Nurses would come in, take my pulse and gasp. Honestly, I didn't appreciate their reaction and thought they should be a little more sensitive to the fact that I was there and could see them gasping in surprise. The doctor would come rushing in soon after looking at my legs. Apparently veins pop out or something to that effect when your heart is about to fail. The panic that often pursued was just not optimistic in my opinion.


I spent a great deal of time (me and my IV) walking the halls of the hospital. The reason was to keep my heart rate up so I wouldn't die from heart failure. The thought was that my heart would have a hard time stopping from beating too slowly if I was in the process of exercise. I didn't walk quickly. I just moseyed around the halls. Me and my IV.

Yep. What can I say. There is a good chance it kept me alive.


This experience is fresh in my mind because two nights ago my right arm was sore and lightly tingly as were my fingers. I Googled it and the first thing that came up was a potassium deficiency. I then Googled 'Foods High in Potassium' and quickly found lists of foods that I never eat and don't like. I figured I'd deal with it the next day.

Yesterday came around and I didn't deal with it. Last night came around and I woke up feeling like my heart was going to stop so I got up, walked around, stretched, jogged in place a little, felt light headed and went back to bed only to be reawakened by a feeling that the artery near my heart was going to collapse and I as though I might have a stroke.


I decided to get up and exercise a little more. After, I sat down and again identified foods with potassium and started devouring everything in the house that contained potassium. It seems that it is quite difficult to actually get a full daily allowance of potassium. Thankfully, I had dried apricots and papaya juice along with a few other items which I hoped was enough to get me through the night.

Today, I will run over to the store and buy some potato chips. I love potato chips but haven't been eating them recently. Tomato puree and baked beans are also quite high in potassium. I am a picky eater but I do like these foods.


My body is weak, sensitive and needs me to always listen to its needs. Having pancreatitis can make me more vulnerable to a lot of things and it can make my system struggle where a healthy system might not.

A potassium deficiency can cause heart disease, kidney disease and a stroke. I will not neglect this aspect of my body's needs again. I believe I have learned an important lesson and hopefully my body will feel better soon. Potassium deficiency also makes a person feel fatigued. Maybe that explains my low energy levels recently.


I love finding out what is causing a problem and being able to fix it. It's amazing how so much relates directly to the diet and how we can improve our state of being by locating the problem and correcting it. While I cannot make the chronic pancreatitis go away, I can fix this issue with the low levels of potassium.

Off to the grocery market!


Articles relating to Pancreatitis and Potassium:
Pancreatitis - Acute Pancreatitis - Chronic Pancreatitis - Symptoms - Diagnosis
Diagnose Me: Condition: Pancreatitis
Acute Pancreatitis and Potassium
Pancreatitis Discussion: Low on Potassium